Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard

“Chess gets a hold of some people, like a virus or a drug,” writes Robert Desjarlais in this absorbing book. Drawing on his lifelong fascination with the game, Desjarlais guides readers into the world of twenty-first-century chess to help us understand its unique pleasures and challenges, and to advance a new “anthropology of passion.” Immersing us directly in chess’s intricate culture, he interweaves small dramas, closely observed details, illuminating insights, colorful anecdotes, and unforgettable biographical sketches to elucidate the game and to reveal what goes on in the minds of experienced players when they face off over the board.

Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard

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Combat: My 50 years at the chessboard

Sidney Bernstein, born in the Bronx, learned chess from his father at age 7, and played in his first tournament at 15. Since then, he has gone on to play in such prestigious events as the U.S. Championship, the U.S. Open Championship, the World Open, the Marshall and Manhattan Club Championships. (He has been champion of both these clubs). He was designated a member of the U.S. team for the U.S.A.-U.S.S.R. match in 1946, and for the 1952 Olympiad, later captaining the U.S. team in the World Postal Olympiad. He also served as advisor to the U.S. team at the 1964 Olympiad. Mr. Bernstein co-edited (with Fred Reinfeld) the books “Art of Chess” and “Kemeri International Tourney, 1937”. He has been awarded the Life Chess Master title by the U.S. Chess Federation. This book is his chess biography. It contains 142 of his annotated games against the leading chess players of America and the story behind each game. The games are tactically sharp and in most cases arise from unusual openings, many of which were invented by Sidney Bernstein himself.

Combat: My 50 years at the chessboard

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Epic Battles of the Chessboard

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Epic Battles of the Chessboard

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